Corn and some of the corn derived chemical compounds are wrecking havoc in people’s lives — people who have an sensitivity.

First the back story of MSG of all the places MSG is hiding (not the Chinese food kind of MSG). In my other life I’m an artist — mixed media and multi-media. Metal Clay first came in pure silver. Wonderful art pieces are being made from clay and once this clay is fried the clay is transformed into metal — Silver, Sterling Silver, Copper, Bronze and Stainless Steel are some of the variations of Metal Clay.

One of the Metal Clay artists who posts to the Yahoo Metal Clay Gallery just alerted members that MSG is in the clay we all love.

I am posting this because I’m sure that I’m not the only one who is sensitive to MSG. “Wait”, you’re thinking, “I’m not EATING my clay?!” But in a sense you are. It is absorbing through your skin.

But let me back up. Some, or all, I really don’t know, metal clay binders can contain modified corn starch. If someone is sensitive to MSG they would be exposed to high amounts of MSG in the corn starch. And no, MSG is NOT just found in Chinese food or a bottle of Accent! It is in almost everything anymore, unfortunately, including shampoos, toothpaste and almost all packaged foods.

For those of us sensitive to MSG life can be quite a nightmare. It is a neurotoxin and can cause serious health issues. In addition, there is almost nothing left that we can eat. What we can eat, we cook from scratch and pay a lot of money for. Eating out, socializing, is out of the question.

I wasn’t having trouble with MSG until I started working with metal clays. It took an eureka moment of reading the binder ingredients of one of the clays to figure out what the trigger was. And believe me, you don’t want to become sensitive.

So please, PLEASE, follow safety guidelines and use the Gloves in a Bottle, masks, etc. (do I hear Linda cheering?)

I hope this saves someone from my fate. I will be sadly discontinuing work with metal clay shortly.

Here are some of the links I found with MSG information.

Truth in labeling — so many people could have sensitivities which may remain hidden until “triggered” by constant exposure to the “trigger” in this case MSG. Neurotoxin? And the FDA approves of this toxin? Wow — just wow.

The quote below is from the linked article — I’m quoted the introduction to the tricks used by industry “researchers” which is scientific manipulation of the worst sort — Experimenter Bias. Way way back when I was getting my B.A. in Psychology we had to take “Experimental Psychology” which was basic training for researchers. An ethical research — no matter the discipline — will aim for unbiased results — using double blinds etc. We also learned to check on the funding source for the research. Many of the ethical research rules I was taught have been or are being violated by Industry supported product researchers.

According to Dr. Samuels, the evidence of toxicity is overwhelming. Exposed laboratory animals suffer brain lesions and neuroendocrine disorders. Scientists studying retinal degeneration in mice treated with free glutamic acid have noted that these mice also became grotesquely obese following administration of free glutamic acid. The vulnerable hypothalamus in our brains regulates weight control, as well as other endocrine functions. When the brain is deluged with more free glutamic acid than it can handle, scientists know that problems and diseases can develop. For example, they know that a diverse number of disease conditions such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive degeneration of neurons and motor cells of the brain), Alzheimer’s disease, seizures, and stroke are associated with the glutamate cascade.

Glutamic acid bound as part of whole, unprocessed protein does not cause problems in people who react to the free glutamic acid in manufactured food, where it is hidden in ingredients with about 40 different names

Faced with growing evidence of toxicity from processed free glutamic acid, its manufacturers and users formed The Glutamate Association. Dr. Samuels states:

Membership in The Glutamate Association is secret. However, a source from within the glutamate industry, who has asked to remain anonymous, told me that besides Ajinomoto, among its member are Archer Daniels Midland, Campbell, Corn Products Corporation, McCormick & Company, Pet Foods, Pfizer laboratories, and Takeda.

The parent organization of The Glutamate Association funded scientists to do research and to make public statements about the “safety” of MSG. Dr. Samuels describes their research and many of their actions in fascinating detail. A few of their ploys are as follows:

You better believe that I for one will be using non latex chemical barrier gloves when I work with metal clay (and glass clay which I assume also uses a form of MSG as one of the binders in the clay).

I’m thinking that NSA spying on all of us is just the tip of the “secret” ice berg. This makes me very sad — I really had hoped that somewhere in Government an agency would be looking out for the health of we the people.

Update:

Here’s another article — on page two there is a reference list to the technical scientific articles. Basically the problem with both HFCS and MSG added to so much of our processed food is that neither of these is naturally occurring, both are synthetic in that a lab process is used to mine HFCS and MSG from what would be field waste. Harsh judgment? What both of these synthetic food enhancement chemical have is common is that there are people who are very sensitive to the chemicals and their health is being harmed. With 40 names for MSG — seems like the Glutamate Association really wants to hide. Using social pressure on those who are sensitive — for instance calling sensitive reaction a social fad — changes the subject. People who are sensitive to HFCS or MSG are the canaries in the mines. They are the early warning system that we are being fed poisons — added to make food “taste better”.